Cricket sports bat

ABSTRACT

A cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a truncate blade, the blade comprising a front playing face the majority of which is substantially planar across its face, an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, characterized in that the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 4:1-3.25:1. The present invention relates to a bat for use in cricket.

The present invention provides a cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a truncate blade having a larger hitting sweet spot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A variety of sports use bats of various different shapes to strike a ball. The present invention relates to those bats that comprise a handle, one end of which is connected to a truncate blade.

In the following description the invention will be described with reference to a cricket bat. The general shape of cricket bats has remained standard for many years. The shape of cricket bats has been standard and little changed for the best part of 150 years. Today's bats are almost identical in blade shape to those that were produced well over a century ago. Very few attempts have been made over the course of time to adjust the width of the blade of a cricket bat.

One feature that has remained constant has been the shape of the profile of the front playing face of the bat. The blade is generally rectangular in shape except for the shoulders near the point where the blade and handle join. Often the edges of the front face are beveled or rounded slightly to prevent splintering of the bat along its edges. Another feature that has been little changed has been the balance point, pick up, of the bat.

Traditionally cricket bats have been made of willow and the handle is spliced into the blade. The rear surface of the bat has traditionally been shaped to be convex in cross section and/or V shaped. In these bats, the thickness of the blade decreases away from the point of maximum thickness both towards the sides and towards the toe and also towards the shoulders in such a way that that the rear surface of many bats has a central line extending down most of the length of the rear surface. Cricket bats have been symmetrical about a central plane running through the centre of the bat (handle and blade) perpendicular to the front playing surface. The central line of the V (splice) is located on the plane of symmetry of the blade. The rear surface of the blade has been shaped so that the maximum thickness and hence mass is situated at a point approximately 15 cm from the toe concentrated around the plane of symmetry in the central section of the back surface. This provides a “sweet spot”, that is the optimum location for bat/ball contact to obtain the most effective hit in terms of distance and direction of travel of the ball relative to the work done by the player using the bat to strike the ball. The sweet spot on the front playing face is the striking area opposite the location of the maximum mass on the rear surface.

Bat shapes to date have restricted the sweet spot to a small area. The effect of the impact of a ball against the front face of the bat to either side of the point where the central plane intersects the playing surface is to try to turn the bat about its longitudinal axis so that a misdirected or week hit results.

Impact of the ball on the front playing face at a point between the handle and the sweet spot results in the ball being lifted with a higher trajectory than desired, and the force delivered to the ball being weaker, with the result that there is a greater risk in the batsman being caught. Impact of the ball on the front playing face at a position between the sweet spot and the toe results in the ball being imparted a lower trajectory than desired, and a short hit results.

A standard cricket bat may not be more than 96.5 cm in length and 10.8 cm at its widest part. A standard bat cricket bat has a blade with a total length of between 54 and 57 cm, usually about 55.5 cm.

One of the aims of a bowler is to cause the batsman to strike the ball adjacent the edge of the bat, causing the ball to be deflected to a fielder. This is achieved by causing the ball to swing in the air or to turn off the pitch. Other methods used include causing the ball to bounce sharply and/or bowling very quickly so that the batsman does not have time to fully coordinate his movements to strike the ball cleanly One of the greatest risks to a batsman staying in the game is when he strikes the ball on the edge of the bat above the sweet spot of a traditional bat as this not only causes the ball to be deflected but it also causes the ball to rise with a higher trajectory and less speed. There is therefore a greater risk of him being caught.

Various attempts have been made at redesigning bats to overcome the aforesaid problems.

In UK Patent 1391120, Messrs Wheeler and Garner describe a bat in which the rear surface has been depressed in such a way that the maximum thickness of the blade is adjacent the side of the blade and is thinnest towards the central plane so that instead of the maximum weight and mass being concentrated largely behind the central plane about one spot it is distributed around the rim and towards the toe and shoulder of the blade to allegedly provide a sweet spot whose area is allegedly considerably extended.

In UK Patent 1586706, Mr. Garner describes a bat in which the rear surface again contains one or more depressions to allegedly provide a sweet spot whose area is allegedly considerably extended as in UK 1391120 but also includes a reinforcing portion at least partially surrounded by said depression/s, the reinforcing section being disposed about the longitudinal axis of the blade in the region of the sweet spot, the thickness of the blade at said reinforcing section being greater than the thickness of the blade in said depression.

However, these bats do not provide the same level of power to play a stroke as standard bats. Standard cricket bats (junior to senior) range from 64.1 cm to 96.5 cm in length, 8.9 cm to 10.8 cm. Their weigh varies with size. Typically the blade is 66% of the length of the whole bat, the handle is 34% of the whole bat length and the splice/blade (lower handle/upper blade) represents 16.45% of the total bat length.

Very few manufacturers have made changes in recent history to the front playing surface of the blade. Slazenger attempted this in 1985 with the introduction of the WG bat that effectively was a shoulder less blade.

Newbery's Excalibur bat was very similar to Slazenger's in that it had a shoulder less blade. The profile of both bats was changed to remove the playing surface area in the third of the blade closest to the handle as shown in FIG. 1. However, the problem with both of these bats was that they reduced the playing area to an unacceptable level and removed the shoulders, resulting in a loss of performance.

Prior art bat tried in 2003 with its recessed edged bats but again there was little benefit from the slight weight transfer of the recessed edges to the sweet spot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes these problems by providing a revolutionary elongate handle/blade combined with a truncate front playing face/back of the blade along and below the handle and shoulders on both sides as compared to a standard bat. This provides a balance between reducing the playing surface area in the top section of the blade and maintaining as much as possible of the front playing area in the lower portion of the blade for the batsman to be able to affect a normal defensive/attacking shot by making contact with the ball. Further, by transferring the mass and weight of the wood removed from the upper part of the blade above the shoulders as compared to a standard bat to the sweet spot of the bat, functional advantages are given to the bat. Providing a bat with a lighter upper third of the blade results in a more balanced pick up of the bat and the sweet spot can be made bigger and deeper giving an extended sweet spot and greater blade speed without adding extra weight to the bat. The sweet spot is further extended by taking the splice out off the hitting area of the blade and removing the upper dead area of the blade. The splice can be a standard .V. shape, .W. shape, tooth like dovetail and other splice combinations. By removing the top portion of the playing surface this will reduce the number of catches off that portion of the bat.

According to the present invention there is provided a cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a truncate blade having a much thicker hitting sweet spot, the blade comprising a front playing face the majority of which is substantially planar across its face, an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders/shoulder less extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, characterized in that the front playing surface is reduced by 25%-35% with an average of 28.4% above the shoulders (As compared to a standard cricket bat).

According to a further preferred aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cricket sports bat comprising a handle and a truncate blade having a larger hitting sweet spot, the blade comprising a front (handle non-splice or handle spliced) playing face the majority of which is substantially planar across its face, an opposing rear surface and sides extending between the front face and rear surface, toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the blade/handle to the sides, characterized in that the front and back upper playing surface has been reduced in size by the majority removal of the blade along and below the handle and shoulders on both sides as compared to a standard bat.

According to a further preferred aspect of the present invention there is provided a cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a blade, the blade comprising a front playing face, an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, characterized in that the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 4:1-3.25:1. In this aspect, the blade of the bat is preferably referred to as a truncate blade (as compared to a standard bat because the toe to shoulder length is shorter).

According to a further preferred aspect of the present invention there is provided a cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a blade, the blade comprising a front playing face, an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, characterized in that at least 50% of the splice is incorporated into the handle of the bat.

In these aspects of the invention, the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is preferably in the range of 3.95:1-3.5:1, more preferably, 3.85:1-3.6:1, more preferably, 3.8:1-3.65:1, for example, 3.75:1-3.68:1, such as about 3.7:1.

In this regard, the length of the bat is considered to be the length from the tip of the toe to the point at which the shoulders of the bat meet the blade, preferably the widest part of the blade.

In this regard, the width of the bat is considered to be the width at its widest point. This is preferably 10.8 cm, but may be in the range of 9 cm-10.8 cm.

Preferably, no more than 20% of the blade length is greater than 0.5 cm narrower than its widest width (which is preferably about 10.8 cm). More preferably, no more than 10% of the blade length is greater than 0.2 cm narrower than its widest width (which is preferably about 10.8 cm). In a particularly preferred embodiment, greater than 90% of the blade length is in the range of 10.5 cm-10.8 cm wide. More preferably, greater than 95% of the blade length is in the range of 10.6 cm-10.8 cm wide. Even more preferably, greater than 99% of the blade length is about 10.8 cm wide. In a particularly preferred embodiment, substantially 100% of the blade length is 10.8 cm wide.

In a preferred embodiment, the length of the blade is in the range of 35 cm to 43 cm long, more preferably 37 cm to 42 cm long, more preferably 39 cm to 41 cm long.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the splice of the bat finishes above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat. The lowest level of the shoulder of the bat is the point at which is meets the side of the blade. Preferably, the splice of the bat finishes at least 1 cm above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat, preferably at least 2 cm above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat. Preferably, the splice of the bat finishes at least 3 cm above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat. The splice preferably finishes between 2.5 cm and 5 cm above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat, most preferably between 3 and 4 cm above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the splice of the bat is incorporated entirely within the handle and optionally additionally in the area above the lowest point of the shoulders of the bat. Preferably, the widest diameter of the handle in which the splice is incorporated (and, the area above the lowest point of the shoulders of the bat if the splice is incorporated in this part of the bat) is no greater than 6.5 cm, more preferably, no greater than 6 cm, more preferably no greater than 5.75 cm, more preferably no greater than 5.5 cm.

Preferably, the diameter of the widest part of the bat which incorporates the splice is no greater than 6.5 cm, more preferably, no greater than 6 cm, more preferably no greater than 5.75 cm, more preferably no greater than 5.5 cm.

Preferably, the average diameter of the widest part of the bat which incorporates the splice is no greater than 6.25 cm, more preferably, no greater than 5.8 cm, more preferably no greater than 5.5 cm, more preferably no greater than 5.25 cm.

Preferably, the part of the bat which incorporates the splice (be it the handle, optionally including the shoulder area) has an average diameter of less than 5.5 cm, preferably less than 5.25 cm, more preferably less than 5 cm, more preferably less than 4.75 cm, for example, between 3.5 cm and 4.5 cm, preferably between 3.75 cm and 4.25 cm.

Preferably, at least 55% of the length of the splice is incorporated into the handle of the bat, more preferably at least 60%, more preferably at least 70%, more preferably at least 75%, more preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 80%, more preferably at least 85%, more preferably at least 90% or at least 95%. In this regard, the handle is considered to be the length measured from top of shoulder to the end of the handle (for example, the length shown as dimension B in FIG. 5A). For the purposes of this measurement of this distance, the handle is considered to finish at the point at which the average diameter of the handle exceeds 5 cm.

Preferably, at least Preferably, at least 50% of the length of the handle which incorporates the splice is wrapped with twine, string or the like. Preferably, at least 70% of the length of the splice is covered by the twine, string or the like. Preferably not more than 4 cm of the bottom of the splice is visible when wrapped by the twine, string or the like, more preferably not more than 3.5 cm, more preferably not more than 3 cm, more preferably not more than 2.6 cm. In this regard, the handle is considered to be the length measured from top of shoulder to the end of the handle (for example, the length shown as dimension B in FIG. 5A). For the purposes of this measurement of this distance, the handle is considered to finish at the point at which the average diameter of the handle exceeds 5 cm.

Preferably, none of the splice is incorporated in a part of the bat which has a largest diameter of greater than 6.5 cm, preferably no greater than 6 cm, preferably no greater than 5.5 cm.

Preferably, none of the splice is incorporated in a part of the bat which has an average diameter of greater than 6.5 cm, preferably no greater than 6 cm, preferably no greater than 5.5 cm, preferably no greater than 5 cm.

The narrowest part of the handle (including twine (string) binding) is preferably in the range of 3-3.5 cm, preferably about 3.25 cm.

A particularly preferred aspect of the present invention is that the twine or string binding can be used to reinforce the connection of the blade to the handle of the bat. In this regard, because the splice is formed in the handle of the bat, the binding can be used to wrap around the wood into which the splice is spliced. This actually reduces the likelihood that the splice or the wood to which it is attached will break when the bat is used. In standard bats, the spice is merely spliced into the blade and adhered thereto with glue. Thus, the present invention provides a significant advantage over the splicing of a standard bat.

Preferably, the percentage of the whole length of the bat that has a width of less than 10.8 cm is between 50% and 70%, more preferably between 53% and 65%, more preferably between 54% and 60%, more preferably between 55 and 58%. In this regard, it should be bourn in mine that the maximum bat length allowed is 96.5 cm. However, in a preferred embodiment, the length of the bat of the present invention is between 83 cm and 87 cm long, preferably between 85 and 86 cm long, most preferably about 85 cm long.

Preferably, the percentage of the bat length that has a width of less than 4.25 cm is greater than 40%, preferably greater than 45%, most preferably between 45 and 48%.

Preferably, the blade (measured from toe to bottom of shoulder) is between 30% and 50% of the length of the whole bat, more preferably between 35% and 48% of the whole bat length, more preferably between 43% and 47.5% of the whole bat length, for example, about 46% thereof.

As used herein, the length of the blade is considered to be the length from the bottom of the toe to the bottom of the shoulder (for example, the length shown as dimension E in FIG. 5A).

Preferably, the ratio of the length of the blade to the length of the handle (measured from top of shoulder to end of handle) is in the range of 1:1-1:1.4, more preferably in the range of 1:1-1:1:1.3, more preferably in the range of 1:1.05-1:1.1.25, more preferably in the range of 1:1.1-1:1.1.2, for example, about 1:1.05, or about 1:1.075, or about 1:1.1, or about 1:1.125, or about 1:1.15.

As used herein, the length of the handle is considered to be the length measured from top of shoulder to end of handle (for example, the length shown as dimension B in FIG. 5A).

Preferably, the spliced-handle length is in the range of 10 cm to 50.18 cm, preferably 25 cm to 45 cm, more preferably 30 cm to 45 cm, more preferably 40 cm to 43 cm, more preferably about 41, 42, 43 or 44 cm long. The ‘spliced-handle’ length is considered to be the length from the end of the handle to the end of the splice.

The shoulder width is preferably in the range of 2.5 cm to 4.5 cm, more preferably 3 to 4.25 cm, more preferably 3.5 to 4 cm. The shoulder width is the distance measured from the longitudinal axis created by the outer diameter of the narrowest part of the handle and point at which the shoulder meets the side of the blade. The outer diameter of the handle is taken to be the diameter of the handle including the twine winding applied to the handles of most standard cricket bats.

Preferably, the truncate blade of a bat according to the present invention contains between 80% and 120% of the volume of wood in a standard bat (such a standard bat having a blade length of greater than 60%, preferably about 66% of the length of the whole bat). More preferably, the truncate blade of a bat according to the present invention contains between 90% and 110% of the volume of wood in such a standard bat. More preferably, the truncate blade of a bat according to the present invention contains between 95% and 105% of the volume of wood in such a standard bat.

Preferably, the width of the edges of the blade are in the range of 2.3 cm to 4 cm wide, more preferably 2.5 to 3.5 cm wide. Preferably, greater than 75% of the width of the edges are greater than 2.3 cm wide, preferably greater than 2.5 cm wide, more preferably greater than 2.75 cm wide. More preferably, greater than 85% of the width of the edges are greater than 2.3 cm wide. More preferably, greater than 95% of the width of the edges are greater than 2.3 cm wide.

Preferably, the thickness of the blade of the bat (at its widest point) is in the range of 5 cm to 10 cm, more preferably 5.5 cm to 8 cm, for example about 5.5 cm, about 6 cm, about 6.5 cm, about 7 cm or about 7.5 cm.

Preferably, greater than 75% of the blade of the bat has a thickness which is in the range of 5 cm to 10 cm, more preferably 5.5 cm to 8 cm, for example about 5.5 cm, about 6 cm, about 6.5 cm, about 7 cm or about 7.5 cm.

Preferably, greater than 85% of the blade of the bat has a thickness which is in the range of 5 cm to 7 cm, more preferably 5.5 cm to 6 cm.

Preferably, less than 25% of the blade of the bat has a thickness less than 5.5 cm.

Preferably, the distance between the lowest point of the shoulder (the point at which the shoulder meets the side of the blade) and the narrowest diameter of the handle is in the range of 3 cm to 15 cm, more preferably less than 12 cm, more preferably less than 10 cm, more preferably less than 8 cm, more preferably less than 7 cm, more preferably less than 6 cm.

Preferably, the distance between the lowest point of the shoulder (the point at which the shoulder meets the side of the blade) and the end of the splice is in the range of 2 cm to 10 cm, more preferably less than 9 cm, more preferably less than 8 cm, more preferably less than 7 cm, more preferably less than 6 cm, more preferably less than 5 cm.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a blade, the blade comprising a front playing face (which is substantially planar across its face), an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, characterized in that the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 4:1-3.25:1, no more than 5% of the blade length is less than 10.6 cm wide; the length of the blade is in the range of 35 cm to 43 cm long; the splice of the bat finishes above the lowest level of the shoulder of the bat; the splice of the bat is incorporated entirely within the handle and optionally additionally in the area above the lowest point of the shoulders of the bat; the widest diameter of the bat in which the splice is incorporated is no greater than 6.5 cm; the percentage of the bat that has a width of less than 10.8 cm is between 50% and 70%; the length of the bat is between 83 cm and 90 cm long; and the blade is between 30% and 50% of the length of the whole bat.

In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a blade, the blade comprising a front playing face, an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, characterized in that the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 3.75:1-3.68:1; the largest width of the bat is in the range of 10.6 cm-10.8 cm; the length of the blade is in the range of 39 cm to 43 cm long; the splice of the bat is incorporated entirely within the handle and optionally additionally in the area above the lowest point of the shoulders of the bat; the widest diameter of the bat in which the splice is incorporated is no greater than 6 cm; the part of the bat which incorporates the splice has an average diameter of between 3.5 cm and 4.5 cm; the length of the bat is between 84 and 86 cm long; and the blade is between 43% and 47.5% of the bat length.

Preferably, the bat is shaped such that it is symmetrical about the central plane. Preferably the length of the front playing surface is reduced by no more than 25%-35% with an average of 28.4% from the top portion of the blade below the handle and shoulders on both sides of a standard bat, which is the useless part of the blade from an attacking shot perspective (As compared to a standard senior cricket bat). All effective attacking shots are played in the remaining 65%-75% with an average 71.6% of the blade (As compared to a standard senior cricket bat). Further weight loss maybe achieved by the removal of the shoulders though the weight maybe transferred to the sweet spot. The reduced blade length will allow it to travel faster through the air. In a preferred embodiment the playing area of blade may have a maximum length of 28 cm to 40 cm and a maximum width of 10.8 cm. A typical standard senior cricket bat has a blade with a total length of 55.5 cm and a width of 10.8 cm.

The present invention provides a cricket sports bat with a number of advantages over standard cricket bats (standard cricket bat being not more than 96.5 cm in length and 10.8 cm at its widest part, and having a blade with a total length of between 54 and 57 cm, usually about 55.5 cm). For example, the effective additional length of the handle and shorter length of blade provides for a more flexible bat. This allows greater power to be imparted to the ball. Also, the bat having a relatively short blade (compared to a standard bat) is less wind resistant. This allow a substantially increased bat speed to be effected while using the same or even less power than used to impart the same bat speed to a standard bat. As mentioned above, because a greater volume of wood can be incorporated into the shorter blade without increasing the weight of the bat compared to an average standard bat, substantially more power can be achieved over a greater surface area of the face of the blade.

In another embodiment the section of the side and/or rear surface may further comprise depressions to remove additional weight from that region of the blade. Preferably at least part or all the mass of the blade that would have been located where in the top 25%-35% of the old styled blades is added to the rear surface in the region of or adjacent the sweet spot. Preferably at least part of that removed mass is added to the back surface adjacent the normal sweet spot region so as to extend the area of the sweet spot. This redistributing of weight in the blade not only enables the sweet spot to be enlarged but also enables the centre of gravity of the bat to be changed. This enables the “lift” of the bat to be changed, without adding any extra weight to the bat and without removing weight from the region of the blade along the central plane. It may also provide the bat with greater stability by removing weight from the top of the blade and locating it closer to the central plane thus changing the rotational pitch of the bat. Preferably the removed mass taken from where the location of the removed mass and moved to the sweet spot is between 200 grammes and 500 grammes in a cricket bat. The standard weight of a cricket bat varies from 1.049 kg to 1.475 kg, with the average being about 1.134 kg. The amount of weight removed from the blade is preferably from 20% to 35% of the total weight of the bat.

In one preferred embodiment, at least part of the mass from of blade where any depressions are located is not included in the bat and the remaining weight is distributed such that a bat is produced which is lighter than an equivalent traditional bat but with at least as good hitting qualities. More preferably only part of the removed weight is added to the sweet spot so that a lighter bat with an extended sweet spot is produced that has at least as good hitting qualities as the equivalent heavier traditional bat.

Additionally, the back surface of the blade may include depressions and/or other shape changes to enable weight to be redistributed within the bat. Preferably, the back surface is chamfered in the region of handle and/or in the region of the shoulders, and/or in the region of the toe. Weight and mass from one or both of these chamfered sections or other depressions in the rear surface may be added to the back face at or adjacent the sweet spot or elsewhere to balance the bat. Also the non traditional shortened splice will also increase the size of the sweet spot.

The bat is preferably made of wood or a combination of different woods. Current bats are made of willow but any suitable wood or combination of woods may be used. Further, metals, aluminum, plastics, glass fibre, carbon fibre and other composite materials and any other suitable materials and combinations of materials may also be used in the construction of the bat or parts thereof. The bat handle is preferably made of cane, wood, twine, rubber and fiber glass. As a proportion of the total volume of the handle, materials other than cane, wood or twine is restricted to one-tenth. Such materials must not project more than 3.25 in/8.26 cm into the lower portion of the handle.

Binding and covering of handle: The permitted continuation beyond the junction of the upper and lower portions of the handle is restricted to a maximum, measured along the length of the handle, 2.5 in./6.35 cm for the twine binding, 2.75 in./6.99 cm for the covering grip. The handle length shall preferably not exceed 50.18 cm or 52% of the overall bat length, the handle width shall preferably not exceed 5 cm. The splice (lower handle portion) may enter the playing area blade 0 cm to 14 cm and may be part of the playing area, but preferably not. Ideally the splice enters the front playing area 0 cm to 3 cm, thereby further enlarging the sweet spot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

In FIG. 1 there is shown a plan view of a Woodworm bat according to the prior art design.

In FIG. 2 there is shown a plan view of UK Patent 1391120 bat according to the prior art design.

In FIG. 3 there is shown a plan view of a Woodworm bat according to the prior art design.

In FIG. 4 there is shown a plan view of a Slazenger WG bat according to the prior art design

In FIG. 5 there is shown a plan view of a front playing face of the bat according to one embodiment of the invention, where A is the handle width of preferably 1 cm to 5 cm, B is the handle length of 10 cm to 50.18 cm, C is the shoulder width of preferably 1.5 cm to 4 cm and D is the total length preferably from 30 cm to 96.5 cm.

In FIG. 5A there is shown a plan view of a front playing face of a preferred bat shape according to the present invention, where A is the handle width, B is the handle length, C is the shoulder width, D is the total length of the bat, E is the blade length, F is the distance from the handle to the point at which the shoulder meets the side of the blade. The bat comprises a blade 1, a handle 2, joined to the blade by a splice 3. One of the shoulders of the bat is labeled 7 and bridges the distance between the handle and the edge of the shoulder 4 (the point at which the shoulder joins the blade and the lowest point of the shoulder). The toe of the bat is shown as 5. The side of the bat is shown as 8. The end of the splice is shown as 6. It can be seen that the splice 3 does not enter the blade area. The end of the splice 6 is located above the lowest point of the shoulders 4. The handle is usually wrapped in twine (string) and covered with a rubber or plastic grip (neither shown labelled).

In FIG. 6 there is shown a side plan view of the bat shown in FIG. 5, where A is the handle width of preferably 1 cm to 5 cm, B is the handle length preferably of 10 cm to 50.18 cm, C is the edge width preferably of 1.5 cm to 6 cm and D is the total width preferably from 6 cm to 10.8 cm.

In FIG. 7 there is shown a plan view of a front handle and splice of the bat shown in FIG. 5. where A is the handle width preferably of 1 cm to 5 cm, B is the handle length of preferably 10 cm to 50.18 cm, C is the splice length preferably of 1.5 cm to 14 cm.

In FIG. 8 there is shown a plan views of a front playing face of the bat according to other embodiments of the invention with different splice configurations. Configurations P1 d and P3 are particularly preferred configurations.

In FIG. 9 there is shown a plan views of a front playing face and side of the bat according to another embodiment of the invention compared to a standard bat. In

FIGS. 10 (a), (b), (c) and (d) is a photograph of invention prototype with spliced playing surface.

In FIGS. 11 (a), (b), (c) and (d) is a photograph of another invention prototype with spliced playing surface.

In FIGS. 12 (a), (b), (c) and (d) is a photograph of another invention prototype with spliced playing surface.

In FIGS. 13 (a), (b), (c) and (d) is a photograph of another invention prototype with a non-spliced playing surface.

In FIGS. 14 (a), (b), (c) and (d) is a photograph of another invention prototype with a non-spliced playing surface.

In FIGS. 15, 16 and 17 are photographs of the invention prototypes compared at different angles with different splice configurations in the playing area of the bat.

In FIGS. 18 a, 18 b and 18 c is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 18 a 1.1 and 1.2 are perspective view of the cricket bat. FIGS. 18 b 1.3 and 1.4 are front and back views of the bat respectively. These clearly show that the splice it incorporated mainly in the handle of the bat, and non of the splice enters the playing surface of the bat. FIGS. 18 c 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 are side, top and bottom view of the cricket bat.

FIG. 19: The 4 positions tested for the Cricket bat of the present invention.

FIG. 20: The 5 positions tested for the comparator bat.

FIG. 21: Load always mid-span.

FIG. 22: Typical bending stiffness experiment result (load in kN against deflection in mm).

FIG. 23: Experimental set-up.

FIG. 24: A typical FRF for one position on a bat of the present invention.

FIG. 25: Pendulum arrangement for Moment of Inertia measurements.

FIG. 26: Bending stiffness for Bat 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 27: Bending stiffness for Bat 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 28: Bending stiffness for Bat 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 29: Bending stiffness for Prior art bat.

FIG. 30: Vibration energy along first lateral edge of the bats. In this and the following figures, “Mongoose” refers to a bat of the present invention and “Woodworm” refers to a bat of the prior art.

FIG. 31: Vibration energy along a line central to the bats.

FIG. 32: Vibration energy along a second line central to the bats.

FIG. 33: Vibration energy along second lateral edge of the bats.

The following numbered embodiments represent particularly preferred embodiments of the present invention.

1. A cricket sports bat comprising a handle and a truncate blade having a larger hitting sweet spot, the blade comprising a front (handle non-splice or handle spliced) playing face the majority of which is substantially planar across its face, an opposing rear surface and sides extending between the front face and rear surface, toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the blade/handle to the sides, characterized in that the front and back upper playing surface has been reduced in size by the majority removal of the blade along and below the handle and shoulders on both sides as compared to a standard bat. 2. A sports bat according to embodiment 1 further comprising a central plane extending longitudinally through the handle and blade, the plane of which is perpendicular to the front playing surface at the point where it intersects said surface, wherein there is provided upper playing surface has been reduced above the shoulders as compared to a standard bat, such that the bat is symmetrically shaped about the central plane. 3. A sports bat according to embodiment 1 wherein there is both sides of the upper blade comprises of a reduced area above the shoulders as compared to a standard bat. 4. A sports bat according to embodiment 3 wherein the reduced upper blade area above the shoulders on the blade side and the located furthest and closest away from the legs of a player when he is holding it in the normal stroke playing position. 5. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 4 wherein the removed parts of the blade are located in the section of the blade located within a 25%-35% of the overall length of the blade, closest to the handle above the shoulders. 6. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 5 wherein the width of the front and back upper playing surface above the shoulders is reduced by no more than 30%-50%. 7. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 6 wherein the length of each side of the upper blade that is removed above the shoulders is from 25 to 35% of the length of the blade. 8. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7 wherein the section of the side and/or rear surface adjacent further comprises depressions. 9. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8 wherein the amount of weight removed from the location of the upper part of the blade above the shoulders and/or depressions are from 13% to 40% of the total weight of the bat. 10. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9 wherein at least part of the mass removed from the blade and any depressions are located is added to the rear surface in the region of or adjacent the sweet spot. 11. A sports bat according to embodiment 10 wherein distributing of at least part of the removed mass provides an enlarged sweet spot to be and/or changes the centre of gravity. 12. A sports bat according to embodiment 10 or embodiment 11 wherein the mass is used to form a mound about the sweet spot symmetrical about the central plane. 13. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 10 to 12 wherein the removed mass from the upper portion of the blade above the shoulder and any depressions is traditional bat but has at least as good hitting qualities. 14. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 10 to 12 wherein only part of the removed weight is added to the sweet spot so that a lighter bat with an extended sweet spot is produced that has at least as good hitting qualities as the equivalent heavier traditional bat. 15. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 14 wherein removed upper portions of the blade above the shoulders and re-distribution of weight will give greater blade speed. 16. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 15 wherein the effect of an elongate handle by the removal of the upper portions of the blade above the shoulders as compared to a standard bat and redistribution of weight will give greater blade speed. 17. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 16 and a standard bat wherein the effect of not having the majority of the handle splice in the front playing area will increase and maximize the sweet spot to the full area of the front playing surface. 18. A sports bat according to any one of embodiments 1 to 17 wherein the bat blade and handle including the splice can be of any colour natural or man made.

Data: 1. INTRODUCTION

This section describes a set of experiments in order to assess the performance properties of two types of cricket bat. This forms part of a larger study in which multiple bat types will be assessed. The aim of this study is to compare performance characteristics of the Cricket bat of the present invention and prior art cricket bats.

The cricket bat exhibits important elastic properties, since it is not completely rigid, during swing and impact (Noble, 1998). Studies suggest that the vibrational behaviour of a bat approximates that of a uniform beam (Noble, 1998; Brooks et al, 2006; Jaramillo et al, 2003). Noble (1998) represented the baseball bat as a uniformed rod, clamped at the point of contact with the hands and defined for various amplitudes of vibrational modes, the approximate length and node locations. Nodal point positions are quite important when assessing bat performance since vibrational modes are not excited when the ball strikes the bat at nodes of given modes (Noble, 1998).

The boundary conditions have a significant effect on the bat's vibrational response and it is important for the bat to impact excitation when it is under boundary conditions analogous of those used in real games (Brooks et al, 2006). Brooks et al, (2006) determined the frequencies and mode shapes for the first four modes of vibrations for three different boundary conditions; the ‘freely suspended’, the ‘clamped handle’ and the ‘hand held’ condition. The ‘freely suspended’ condition uses strings to support the bat in two positions at the end of the handle and at the end of the blade so that the bat is free to vibrate (Brooks et al, 2006; Jaramillo et al, 2003). The results of the modal analysis showed that during impact the vibrational response of a ‘freely suspended’ bat corresponds to that of a ‘hand held’ bat (Noble, 1998; Brooks et al, 2006). Noble (1998), defined that for a ‘freely suspended’ rod the number of nodes for each successively higher mode increases by one at each step. In the same study the node locations and the frequency of the fundamental and first harmonic modes were measured for baseball bats. Finally, modal testing was also employed by Gutaj (2004) who excited a ‘freely suspended’ bat in order to determine its elastic properties.

Experimental modal analysis has enabled researchers to define each bat's ‘sweet spot’ as the region of low vibrational energy absorption, by changing the blade's profile the ‘sweet spot’ can move (Brooks et al, 2006). Studies have also demonstrated the importance of stiffness and mass distribution to the bat's vibrational properties (Shaw, 2004; Brooks et al, 2006; Jaramillo et al, 2003; Smith, 2001). The higher elastic modes have been found to play significant part in restoring 50% of the loss in ball velocity, a degradation usually associated with the bat's stiffness (Noble, 1998).

Therefore, in this study, both bat stiffness (bending stiffness) and freely suspended vibration analysis will be conducted.

The Moment of Inertia (Mol) of a cricket bat is a measure of it's resistance to being swung. As such, this is a direct measure of the ‘pick up’ weight of a bat. This is equivalent to the ‘swing weight’ of a tennis racket (Brody, 1986). In addition, a racket or bat with a greater Mol imparts greater energy to the ball for the same angular velocity and thus will strike the ball further. There are two ways of increasing the Mol of a bat. The first is to increase the mass of a bat. The second is the redistribute the mass of the bat further away from the rotational axis. In the light of the different designs of bat available that have significantly redistributed mass by reducing blade hitting area it was decided to quantify the Mol of the different bats available according to the method of Brody (1986).

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Bending Stiffness

The cricket bats were placed over two supports specifically designed for this type of testing. All the bats were loaded up to 4 kN with a constant rate of 5 mm/sec. All the bats were tested at four/five different points and for each point the test was repeated ten times. These are summarized in FIGS. 19 and 20.

Bending stiffness was calculated as below. The test configuration is shown is FIG. 21.

${{Bending}\mspace{14mu} {{Stiffness}:a}} = {\left. \frac{L}{2}\Rightarrow{E \cdot I} \right. = \frac{P \cdot L^{3}}{48 \cdot W}}$

(L=176 mm in all cases)

Bending Stiffness was Calculated from the Slope of the Curve Between 2100 and 3800 kN (example curve in FIG. 22).

2.2 Vibration Analysis

The cricket bats were excited with the impulse hammer technique. As shown in FIG. 23 the experimental setup is based on the use of an impulse hammer to excite the bat over a range of frequencies and an accelerometer. The frequency range was set at 0-1200 Hz and the accelerometer was attached on the back of the blade near the toe region using a thin layer of wax (Brooks et al, 2006). This position was chosen as it did not correspond to any of the nodes of vibration (Brooks et al, 2006; Gutaj 2004). Each of the cricket bats tested had marked out a series of equally spaced impact points along the blade's hitting surface covering the length and width of the blade from toe to neck. During testing each of the points was impacted three times by the hammer and the average frequency response was quantified using appropriate software SignalCalc ACE (Dynamic signal analyzer) from Data Physics. The Experimental set up is shown in FIG. 23.

For this work the first three bending modes are included in the magnitude/energy calculations as higher modes are unlikely to be excited and lower modes may include noise. The Y axis on the FIG. 24 is:

$\frac{\overset{¨}{x}}{F} = \frac{\frac{mm}{s^{2}}}{N}$

and the x-axis is the frequency response in Hz.

2.3 Moment of Inertia

In this study, the moment of inertia about an axis through the handle of the bat was determined by turning the bat into a physical pendulum (Brody, 1985). The period of a physical pendulum is given by the formula:

$T = {2 \cdot \pi \cdot \sqrt{\frac{I}{mgd}}}$

Where I is the moment of inertia of the bat, m is its mass and d is the distance between the pivot point and the centre of mass (CoM.).

A 6 mm hole was drilled through the handle of each bat and a rod was inserted through the hole to form an axis of rotation. A frame was manufactured out of mild steel to support the rod so as to allow for the bat to be held in a vertical position in order to swing freely. Each bat was displaced from the vertical position through varying angles ranging up to 10°, so that the small angle approximation:

sin a≅a(for a≦14°)

was valid, and then released. For each initial angle of displacement, 10 full cycles were recorded using an electronic timer and the mean period (the time required for a pendulum to oscillate through one complete cycle) was determined. The mass of each bat was then measured to within 1 g. The position of the CoM was determined by a balance experiment. I was determined from the equation below:

$I = {T^{2} \cdot \frac{m \cdot g \cdot d}{4 \cdot \pi^{2}}}$

Due to the small variability in mass of bats, the moments of inertia were also normalised by scaling linearly to the lowest bat mass.

FIG. 7 shows the pendulum arrangement for Moment of Inertia measurements

3. Results 3.1 Bending Stiffness Experiment

Testing and analysis of four bats was completed; three Cricket bats of the present invention and one prior art bat. Complete results are presented below in FIG. 26-29.

The Cricket bats of the present invention bending stiffnesses were 0.373 kNm² with a standard deviation of 0.017. This demonstrates that the bending stiffnesses were highly consistent within and between Cricket bats of the present invention.

The Prior art bat bending stiffness was 0.297 (0.043) kNm². This is 20% lower stiffness than the average Cricket bat of the present invention with a higher variability than the Cricket bat of the present invention.

The bending stiffness of the Cricket bat of the present invention bat/handle interface was 0.320 (0.02) kNm² compared to 0.283 kNm² for the Prior art bat.

3.2 Vibration Analysis

Vibration analysis was completed for two Cricket bats of the present invention and the Prior art bat. Frequency data are summarised in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1 Frequency of the three main bending modes of vibration 2^(nd) mode of 3^(rd) mode of 4^(th) mode of vibration vibration frequency vibration frequency frequency in Hz Bat in Hz (SD) in Hz (SD) (SD) Bat 1 130 (2) 408 (3) 736 (6) Bat 2 130 (2) 405 (2) 732 (4) Prior 142 (2) 467 (4) 789 (4) art Bat

Vibration energy results for all three bats are shown in FIGS. 30-33. These demonstrate that the energy imparted to the batsman through vibrations is equivalent for all three bats tested.

3.3 Moment of Inertia

TABLE 2 Moment of Inertia for all four bats tested Mass Distance to Moment of Normalised Bat (kg) CoM (m) Inertia (kgm²) Mol (kgm²) Bat 1 1.272 0.479 0.3535 0.3390 Bat 2 1.274 0.471 0.3436 0.3290 Bat 3 1.272 0.480 0.3491 0.3348 Average for Bats of 1.273 0.477 0.3487 0.3343 the invention Prior art bat 1.220 0.461 0.3124 0.3124

The Cricket bats of the present invention have on average an 11.6% higher Mol than the Prior art bat. When scaled to an equal weight this is 7.0% higher. The CoM of both types of bat are within 3% of one another.

4. DISCUSSION

The Cricket bats of the present invention have a stiffer blade. This is due to the robust rectangular cross section that is maintained along the length of the blade and is different from the Prior art bat. Compared to a traditional cricket bat design, the Cricket bat of the present invention has stiffened up the blade more without stiffening up the handle. This is likely to have a performance advantage without compromise of batsman comfort.

The Cricket bats of the present invention have vibration frequencies that are similar to the Prior art bat. This is likely due to the consistency of materials and manufacture methods employed; the bats were all manufactured by the same manufacturer. The vibration energies were equivalent between the two bat designs up to 26 cm from the toe and demonstrated that they had equivalent ‘sweet spots’. When the ball strikes above this point, the traditional design has a lower vibrational energy than the Cricket bat of the present invention. This is clearly due to the longer blade.

The most significant performance difference between the bat designs is that the Cricket bat of the present invention has a higher Mol for the same mass of bat. This means that holding both bats vertically will ‘feel’ equivalent, but the bat ‘pick up’ will feel heavier for the Cricket bat of the present invention. Conversely, swinging the bat with the aid of gravity and providing a rotational pivot about the hands will feel lighter for the Cricket bat of the present invention due to the dynamics of the bat. This will enable a higher striking velocity on the ball. Based on this significant finding, the cricket bat of the present invention will strike the ball further. In addition, although not quantified in this study, as the surface area of the Cricket bat of the present invention blade is less than the Prior art bat, so it will experience less resistance when swung through air. This further enhances the blade striking velocity.

5. CONCLUSIONS

The Cricket bat of the present invention bat has been designed to redistribute mass along a smaller blade. This has resulted in a bat that for the same pick up height has the potential to impart more energy to the ball. This is due to an increase in moment of inertia. The relative stiffness of the bat and lower air resistance is predicted to enhance this effect.

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY

-   American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), (2004), Standard Test     Method for measuring moment of inertia and centre of percussion of a     baseball or softball bat. -   American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), (2005), Standard Test     Method for measuring high-speed bat performance. -   Brody H., (1985), The moments of inertia of the tennis racket, Phys.     Teach., 4, 213-216. -   Brody H., (1986), The sweet spot of a baseball bat, Am. J. Physics,     54, 756-759. -   Brooks R., Mather J. S. B., Knowles S., (2006), The influence of     impact vibration modes and frequencies on cricket bat performance,     In: Proceedings of the 2006 Conference on IMechE, vol. 220, Part     L: J. Materials: Design and Applications. -   Drane, P., and Sherwood, J. A., (2004), Characterization of the     Effect of Temperature on Baseball COR performance, Proceedings of     the 5th International Conference on the Engineering of Sport,     September, UC Davis, Calif. -   Fleisig G. S., Zheng N., Stodden D. F., Andrews J. R., (2002),     Relationship between mass properties and bat velocity, Sports     Engineering, 5, 1-8 -   Gutaj F., (2004), A comparison of methods for modelling the dynamics     of a cricket bat. Proc. lnstn Mech. Engrs Part C: J. Mechanical     Engineering Science, 218, 1457-1468. -   Jaramillo P., Adrezin R., Reinard J. T., Manarky K. S., Celmer R.     D., Shetty D., (2003). ‘Sweet spot’ or ‘sweet zone’? Modal analysis     of a wooden baseball bat for design optimization, In: Proceedings of     IMECE' 03, 2003 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress. -   Mustone, T. J., Sherwood, J. A., (1998), Using LS-DYNA to     characterize the performance of baseball bats. In: Proceedings of     the Fifth International LS-DYNA Users Conference, 21-22 September,     Southfield, Mich. -   Nathan A. M., (2003), Characterizing the performance of baseball     bats, Am. J. Physics, 71(2), 134-143. -   National Collegiate Athletic Association, (2006), Standard test     method for Testing Baseball Bat Performance, NCAA, October 2006. -   Nicholls R. L., Miller K., Elliot B. C., (2006), Numerical Analysis     of maximal bat performance in baseball, Journal of Biomechanics, 39,     1001-1009. -   Noble L., (1998), Inertial and vibrational characteristics of     softball and baseball bats: Research and design implications, In:     Proceedings of the 1998 Conference on International society of     Biomechanics in Sports,     http://www.isbs98.uni-konstanz.degullpapaer/Inoble -   Shenoy, M. M., Smith, L. V., Axtell, J. T., (2001), Performance     assessment of wood, metal and composite bats. Composite Structures     52, 397-404. -   Sherwood, J. A., Mustone, T. J., and Fallon, L. P., (2000),     Characterizing the Performance of Baseball Bats using Experimental     and Finite Element Methods, Proceedings of the 3rd International     Conference on the Engineering of Sport, June, Sydney, Australia -   Smith L. V., (2001), Evaluating bat performance, Sports Engineering     4, 205-214. -   Vedula, G., and Sherwood, J. A., (2004), An Experimental and Finite     Element Study of the Relationship amongst the ‘Sweet spot’, COP, and     Vibration Nodes in Baseball Bats, Proceedings of the 5th     International Conference on the Engineering of Sport, September, UC     Davis, Calif. 

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A cricket sports bat comprising an elongate handle and a blade, the blade comprising a front playing face which is substantially planar across its face, an opposing rear surface, sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a splice, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, wherein the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 4:1-3.25:1, and wherein no more than 20% of the blade length is greater than 0.5 cm narrower than its widest width.
 16. A cricket bat according to claim 15, wherein at least 50% of the space is incorporated into the handle of the bat, the length of the handle being measured from the end of the handle to the point at which the average diameter of the handle exceeds 5 cm.
 17. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 3.95:1-3.5:1.
 18. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein greater than 90% of the blade length is in the range of 10.5 cm-10.8 cm wide.
 19. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the length of the blade is in the range of 35 cm to 43 cm long.
 20. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the widest part of the bat which incorporates the splice is no greater than 6.5 cm.
 21. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the percentage of the bat length that has a width of less than 10.8 cm is between 50% and 70%.
 22. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the length of the bat is between 83 cm and 87 cm long.
 23. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the percentage of the bat length that has a width of less than 4.25 cm is greater than 40%.
 24. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the blade is between 30% and 50% of the length of the whole bat.
 25. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the width of the bat blade is in the range of 10.6 cm-10.8 cm.
 26. A cricket sports bat according to claim 15, wherein the ratio of the length of the blade to the length of the handle (measured from top of shoulder to end of handle) is in the range of 1:1-1:1.4.
 27. A cricket bat according to claim 15, wherein at least 75% of the splice is incorporated into the handle of the bat.
 28. A cricket bat comprising an elongate handle and a blade, the blade comprising a front playing face, an opposing rear surface; sides extending between the front face and rear surface, a toe and a pair of shoulders extending one each side of the handle/blade to the sides, wherein at least 50% of the splice is incorporated into the handle of the bat, the length of the handle being measured from the end of the handle to the point at which the average diameter of the handle exceeds 5 cm.
 29. A cricket bat according to claim 28, wherein the ratio of the length of the blade to the width of the blade is in the range of 4:1-3.25:1, and wherein no more than 20% of the blade length is greater than 0.5 cm narrower than its widest width.
 30. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein greater than 90% of the blade length is in the range of 10.5 cm-10.8 cm wide.
 31. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein the length of the blade is in the range of 35 cm to 43 cm long.
 32. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein the widest part of the bat which incorporates the splice is no greater than 6.5 cm.
 33. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein the length of the bat is between 83 cm and 87 cm long.
 34. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein the percentage of the bat length that has a width of less than 4.25 cm is greater than 40%.
 35. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein the blade is between 30% and 50% of the length of the whole bat.
 36. A cricket sports bat according to claim 28, wherein the ratio of the length of the blade to the length of the handle (measured from top of shoulder to end of handle) is in the range of 1:1-1:1.4.
 37. A cricket bat according to claim 28, wherein at least 75% of the splice is incorporated into the handle of the bat. 